Should a South African public entity be investing beyond its borders while domestic water infrastructure remains under pressure?
This is a fair question but not a complete one. At its core, this debate is not simply about geography. It is about vision, responsibility and the long-term sustainability of institutions that serve the public.
It is about whether we see SA as an isolated system under siege or as an active participant in a connected continent and an interdependent world. The criticism by AfriForum regarding Rand Water’s reported R800m investment in Zanzibar raises this important and emotionally resonant question.
But the decision must be understood in the broader context.
First, it is important to acknowledge the reality that SA faces significant water challenges. Ageing infrastructure, climate variability, and uneven municipal capacity have all placed strain on water systems across the country. These are real concerns, and they deserve urgent, sustained attention.
But addressing them does not require retreating from strategic opportunities beyond our borders. In fact, the opposite may be true. Institutions such as Rand Water do not operate effectively by shrinking their horizons.
They grow stronger, more resilient, and more innovative by engaging with complex environments, building partnerships and diversifying their expertise and revenue streams.
Its annual reports consistently reflect sound governance, operational efficiency, and a commitment to long-term sustainability. This is not an entity prone to reckless decision-making. It is one that has earned a measure of public trust through performance, transparency and accountability. To assume that this investment is irresponsible is to overlook that track record.
Moreover, SA does not exist in isolation. As the most industrialised economy on the African continent, it carries both influence and responsibility.
Our water challenges, like those of many of our neighbours, are shaped by shared climatic systems, regional development patterns and interconnected economies.
Investing in water infrastructure beyond our borders can foster stability, build technical capacity and create economic linkages that ultimately benefit SA as well. This is not charity. It is strategic cooperation.
A project in Zanzibar has the potential to open new markets for South African expertise, create opportunities for skills transfer and strengthen Rand Water’s position as a continental leader in water management.
If South African entities withdraw from regional and global engagement, we risk stagnation. We limit our exposure to innovation, reduce our competitiveness and close off avenues for growth.
However, South Africans are right to expect that domestic needs remain a priority. Transparency, clear communication and demonstrable benefits are essential in maintaining public confidence. Rand Water must continue to show, through both words and actions, that its international engagements do not come at the expense of its responsibilities at home.
But we must also guard against a narrative that frames global engagement as inherently irresponsible. It is possible, and often necessary, for institutions to do both: to serve their immediate constituencies while also participating in broader systems that shape their future viability.
In supporting water security beyond our borders, we affirm a principle that transcends politics. And it says that access to water is a collective challenge requiring collective solutions. In the end, the question is not whether Rand Water should care about SA first. It must, and it does.
The question is whether caring for SA requires a narrow or an expansive vision of its role. The answer, surely, lies in balance.
SA’s challenges will not be solved by turning inward. They will be addressed by building institutions that are strong enough, wise enough, and bold enough to engage the world, while never losing sight of the people they serve at home.
- Vika is....
